(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for molding spheroidal food products, and more particularly to a device for severing cylindrical food products and forming spheroidal food products therefrom.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
According to conventional equipment providing functionality to sever cylindrical food products and form spheroidal bodies therefrom, exemplifications that typify prior art include a Taiwan patent Publication No. 163112, wherein a sliding surface of a cutting member (namely a blade) is adapted to form a single convex surface, and another sliding surface forms a single concave surface, wherewith by means of sliding contact of the convex and concave surfaces of the adjacent cutting members opening or closing of a central opening by a plurality of the cutting members is realized, and thus achieves severing of the cylindrical food products into spheroidal food bodies when the cylindrical food products pass through the central opening.
However, after long-term usage of the plurality of cutting members, mutual sliding contact therebetween results in the following defects:
1. Frictional wear easily results from long-term sliding friction between the single concave surface and the adjacent single convex surface of any of the cutting members, causing a gap to be formed between the adjacent cutting members, poor transmission of moment of force, and inability to produce close-matching mutual sliding. Thus, upon a gap being formed between the adjacent sliding surfaces, closing or opening of the cutting members will particularly result in incomplete closing of the central opening or inability of the central opening to completely open, and therefore brings about inability of blades of the cutting members to completely sever the cylindrical dough food product, and remnants of filling or dough remain on a surface of the molded spheroidal food products. The spheroidal food products thus produced are regarded as poor quality with respect to quality control of outward appearance. Hence, when the central opening is unable to be opened to pre-calibrated width, concern arises that comparatively bulkier cylindrical food products will be unable to accurately pass through the central opening.
2. No lubricating device between the plurality of cutting members, and thus mutual sliding of the sliding surfaces easily results in frictional wear.